Back to the house then. *paging* Corrinne for smart comments or has she left already?
You're just assuming the ghosts are going to let you walk out of there with their stuff and that you're going to make it back to town unmolested then? How very ... optimistic of you. ;)
"What do you have that needs packing up, Morven?" Corinne asks. "Let's do tonight everything that needs doing. The sooner this horrible little town sees the last of us, the better. No offense, Kendra."
Spoiler:
Could have done the same thing spoilered just for Morven, but she likes annoying the rest of you. :) In general, if it's a conversation everyone's involved in, just use a heading; if it's only one or two people, you can choose to spoiler it or not, depending on how secret it is or how much you think anyone else cares to read it.
"We're just going to leave him ... lying down there?" Corinne asks uneasily, clearly not thrilled at the idea of spending the night in a house with a recently de-animated zombie in the basement.
I'll have to check my hp its been so long. I think I was down a handful from the spider fight and the brand damage. With a clw or two I think I'm fine. We should re-allocate all of the consumables as well.
Morven and Corinne don't seem to be carrying anything other than their starting gear. Theodric has rope and oil he presumably won't need in the asylum. (Ouch! and it's a Ustalavic asylum, too. I bet the "doctors" use their wards for all kinds of awful experiements.)
*Eyes her potion of hide from undead* Guess she's sitting there with that in her lap..
Ha! Maybe you people ought to have been nicer to poor Corinne if you wanted presents! ;)
If she feels reasonably safe by the time she gets on the coach tomorrow, she's likely to gift it to the party. She's NG, after all. However, knowing that she's spending the night in a house that was recently attacked by a zombie, she's not going to offer it up until she's made it to dawn without her brains being eaten.
I'll have to check my hp its been so long. I think I was down a handful from the spider fight and the brand damage. With a clw or two I think I'm fine. We should re-allocate all of the consumables as well.
Morven and Corinne don't seem to be carrying anything other than their starting gear. Theodric has rope and oil he presumably won't need in the asylum. (Ouch! and it's a Ustalavic asylum, too. I bet the "doctors" use their wards for all kinds of awful experiements.)
Stannis rubs the mark on his neck absently and nods at Quiddling's words.
Yes. What matters now is stopping the spirits. Thats all that matters.
To Sarrah I am willing. Would the brass ... thing help to proide answers? Or is just another danger to be avoided?
It my be just the time duration but I can't remember what you are referring to...the brass "thing" ?
Ouija board kind of thing we found way back at the beginning. In the crypt, I think. I have no clue how to use it, though.
From page 6:
Haunt Siphon:
Aura faint necromancy; CL 3rd
Slot none; Price 400 gp; Weight 1 lb.
Description
These glass vials are held within stylized cold-iron casings etched with strange runes, necromantic designs, or other eldritch markings. Within the vial roils a small wisp of white vapor, churning as if caught in a miniature vortex of air. To capture a haunt’s energies within a haunt siphon, you need only twist the metal casing to open the vial in the same round that the haunt manifests (a standard action)—this can be before or after the haunt has acted. You must be within the haunt’s area of influence to use a haunt siphon. When you activate a haunt siphon, it deals 3d6 points of positive energy damage to a single haunt.
If it deals enough damage to the haunt to reduce the haunt’s hit points to 0, the mist inside the haunt siphon glows green—if it does not reduce the haunt to 0 hit points, the haunt siphon is still expended and becomes nonmagical. It may take multiple haunt siphons to destroy powerful haunts. A haunt that is neutralized by a haunt siphon takes a –5 penalty on its caster level check to manifest again after its reset time passes.
A haunt siphon that neutralizes a haunt can no longer be used to harm haunts, but it can be used as a grenadelike splash weapon that deals 1d6 points of negative energy damage with a direct hit. Every creature within 5 feet of the point where the haunt siphon hits takes 1 point of negative energy damage from the splash.
Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, cure moderate
wounds, gentle repose; Cost 200 gp
Spirit Planchette:
Aura moderate divination; CL 9th
Slot none; Price 4,000 gp (brass planchette),
10,000 gp (cold iron planchette), 18,000 gp
(silver planchette); Weight 5 lbs.
Description
A spirit planchette is typically found in a wooden case along with a thin wooden board printed with numerous letters and numbers. Nonmagical versions of these divination tools can be purchased in curiosity shops (typically costing 25 gp); while these items can be used as alternative components for augury spells, only magical spirit planchettes allow users to communicate with the other side. Three types of spirit planchettes exist—brass, cold iron, and silver. Each in turn allows an increasingly potent form of divination effect to be utilized. A spirit planchette requires a board to move upon, but this “board” can be made up of letters scribed upon any smooth surface—it need not be a prepared board for a spirit planchette to work.
To use a spirit planchette, you must rest your fingers lightly upon the planchette’s surface and then concentrate on the planchette (as if maintaining a spell with a duration of concentration) for 2d6 rounds while the planchette attunes itself to the ambient spirits of the area. After this time, the planchette begins to slowly slide in random patterns across the board — at this point, questions may be asked of the spirits by any of the individuals involved in the séance. The consequences of each question asked of the spirits depends upon what type of planchette is used for the divination, as summarized on the table below. The spirits reply in a language understood by the character who asked the question, but resent such contact and give only brief answers to the questions. All questions are answered with “yes,” “no,” or “maybe,” or by spelling out a single word from the letters arranged on the board. The spirits answer each question either in the same round the question is asked (in the case of a yes, no, or maybe answer) or at a rate of one letter per round (in the case of a single word being spelled out). A spirit planchette may be used once per day—the maximum number of questions you can ask with it depends on the type of planchette being used (as detailed on the table below).
Communication with spirits can be a dangerous task, for many spirits are jealous or hateful of the living. Every time a spirit planchette is used, the user must succeed on a Will save to avoid being temporarily possessed and harmed by the angry spirits. In some areas where the spirits are particularly violent or hateful (such as in Harrowstone), this Will save takes a –2 penalty. The DC of this save depends on the type of spirit planchette being used. Anyone who fails the Will save becomes confused for a number of rounds (depending on the type of planchette being used), and no answer is received. The spirits in the area are not omniscient — the GM should decide whether or not the spirits would actually know the answer to the question asked, and if they do not, the answer granted is automatically “maybe.” If the GM determines that the spirits are knowledgeable about the answer, roll d% to determine whether the spirits speak truthfully or whether they lie.
Spirit Planchettes
Brass
Questions - 1
Will Save DC - 11
Confusion Duration - 1 round
True Answer - 01-60
Lie - 61-100
Cold Iron
Questions - 3
Will Save DC - 15
Confusion Duration - 2 rounds
True Answer - 01-75
Lie - 76-100
Silver
Questions - 5
Will Save DC - 19
Confusion Duration - 3 rounds
True Answer - 01-90
Lie - 91-100
Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, contact other plane, speak
with dead; Cost 2,000 gp (brass spirit planchette), 5,000 gp
(cold iron spirit planchette), 9,000 gp (silver spirit planchette)
Your spirit planchette is brass.
"He ... he can't be out yet," Corinne reasons. "That's what she's doing, holding him there. That's why he's trying to destroy her. But he is ... could he be influencing someone or something in town to do his will? To write these letters for him?" She shakes her head. "You could try to find the one writing the letters, but if he can influence one village idiot, there is certainly no shortage of them in Ravengro; he'll only find another. The Splatter Man is in the prison, somewhere, but I know of no way to kill a ghost. Unless our new friend has a 'trick,'" she adds sardonically.
"Cowardice!?" Corinne replies angrily, half-rising from her chair. "Let another being come inside you and control your body, your voice, your very blinking and breathing, and then talk to me about my reasons for leaving! Have you ever heard of a magic jar among your many 'tricks?' Except in that case, when someone steals your body, they have the decency to put you somewhere else where you're not along for the ride. Your mind is safely in a gem or a crystal, not being crushed and suffocated by her thoughts, her feelings, her memories! I'll never be rid of her, don't you understand? Even when the Splatter Man has utterly destroyed her, her footprints will still be in my mind." She is blinking back tears by the time her outburst is complete. "I never claimed to be a hero; never wanted to be one. I don't know why the Professor summoned me here. He must have hated me more than I ever knew...."
"I'll be staying here," Corinne insists. "You never know, there could be more zombies," she explains lamely, trying to come up with a reason other than cowardice for her staying behind. "And Morven and Theodric are in no condition to defend Kendra."
"Thank you," Corinne replies a little stiffly, obviously still a bit ashamed of herself for leaving. The intervening period between declaring she's going and actually being able to leave is socially awkward.
Corinne bustles about getting Morven settled into a comfortable chair. You get the feeling fussing over him gives her something to do that distracts her from her recent experience -- and from her own shame at abandoning the others. "'Poor Morven' indeed. Poor the rest of them! We'll be fine; we're getting away," she mutters.
Kendra simply watches the heated exchange with a soft sigh, then tears slowly begin to form in her eyes. She softly almost-whispers her wishes.
They are free to go, Stannis. Corinne, if you would be so kind as to write to me once you are back in an established location i'll have the money in Lorrimor's will sent on to you and Morven. As for Theodric... Would someone please take him to the church? I think he needs some long term care...
Corinne wilts a little as Kendra addresses her. "I'm not abiding by the terms of your father's will by running away, Kendra; I'll lay no claim to it. If the others agree to it, however," she goes on, whispering so Morven can't hear, "it would be kind to provide a share to Morven; regaining his sight won't come cheaply. And I'll be burned alive if that Father Grimburrow will extend any sort of charity to poor Theodric at less than market value." She hesitates. "I'm sorry, Kendra; really, I am. But your father overestimated me if he thought I had the wherewithal to step up and be a hero."
Remember who made a deal for his own soul to set you free...you should be ashamed of yourself!
I would flee far away if I was you Corinne, if the spirit escape from that prison they will be ranging far looking for souls such as yours to consume.
If you are not going to be of any further help to our cause you should leave or at least stay out of the way.
"I'm trying to leave," Corinne erupts back at Sarrah. "If there's not a coach available tomorrow, I'll just start walking! As for Stannis ...," she goes on more quietly, with an uncomfortable look at the paladin, "I do owe him for making her let me go. But a person can be grateful for being rescued from a burning building and still tell her rescuer he's a fool seeking his own death to turn around and go back in."
Your going to leave? Just like that? He says to Corinne.
"'Just like that?'" she repeats hotly. "You may have come out of our little excursion unscathed, but half of us weren't as lucky. It's like being buried alive, with your own body as your tomb; you can't speak or move, but you're aware of everything...! Never mind: you'll find out if you're fool enough to keep your word. You'll dwindle away to nothingness until you wink out like a candle flame, and your extinction won't even serve a purpose. Once you're used up, she will be too, and the evil spirits will sweep out their imprisonment just the same. Well, Morven and I will be far away when that happens. Kendra, is there a coach first thing in the morning?"
"Hush, Morven," she comforts him, "you must know your face was never your strong suit.We," she says, pulling the half-orc into the house and past the newcomer, "are leaving. I'm sorry, Kendra, but you'll do the same if you've a thought in your head. The prison is full of malevolent spirits about to spill out into the countryside. Morven's been blinded, Theodric's been broken, and I've been ... violated," she spits out. "When can we catch a coach back to the Arcanamirium?"
"I'm going with you, Morven. I haven't seen a friendly face other than the Professor's daughter since I stepped into this godsforsaken place; I wouldn't trust someone to drive you where you want to go any more than I could throw you there. They'd rob you bl-- ... well, they'd take advantage of you. If we can just make it back to Kendra's house, perhaps she can tell us when the next coach back to the city is." She looks up at the sky to gauge how much daylight is left. I've totally lost track of what time of day it might be; I think we went to the prison first thing in the morning, although I don't know how far we had to travel from Kendra's house nor how long we were inside.
"Hush!" Corinne tells the half-orc, brusquely but not unkindly. "Be glad it's your eyes and not your ears. You can cast blind. Yes, yes," she tells Quiddling, "the letters on the statue. Remember the V? Thank Nethys my name is long." She seems not to have completely recovered from the imposition of the ghost's stronger will. "My beloved ... the warden," she corrects herself, "stayed on to keep his prisoners restrained even after his death, but he was stolen -- by the same people who killed the professor. What they want with him, I don't know, but in his absence, the evil spirits of the prisoners have begun to escape. I've tried ... she's tried to do her husband's job, keep them imprisoned, but she's not as strong as he was. The energy it takes to hold them there... I felt it, draining me. Every letter he writes, she grows weaker." She doesn't slacken her pace, even after the prison has disappeared behind them.
Corinne stumbles forward, gasping with relief, but wastes no time. "Quickly" she hisses, seizing Morven's arm and leading him toward the corridor, "we have to get out of here!"
Corinne's knees half-buckle as she looks like she is going to pitch forward onto the floor, but she catches herself as control over her limbs returns to her. "Oh, quick, quick," she begs in a whisper, stretching out her hands to the others imploringly, "let's run; let's get away, before she ... Oh gods! She's still there! She won't let me go!" Tears begin to spill down her face. "Get her out of me, for the love of all that's holy! Don't leave me here in the dark, all alone! She'll use me up, leave me nothing but a shell! Oh gods!" Her face twists in anguish for a moment before the reassertion of Vesorianna's will wipes her face clean of emotion, the tracks of tears an eerie memento of the woman imprisoned within. The mouth speaks again, impassively, in the voice not her own. "You see she is alive and knows her own mind still, but the Splatter Man will waste us both away until he is freed."
When Stannis brings the items out of the web-filled room, Corinne speaks a few syllables and passes her crossed fingers in front of her eyes as she examines them.
With Stannis, Morven and Quiddling all in melee around the doorway, I'm fairly certain Corinne doesn't have a clear shot at the spider unless it's in the hallway. Assuming it's not immediately threatening her, she will delay.
Corinne gasps as Stannis steps into action against whatever's in the room. "Nethys preserve us! What's in there?" She steps back against the opposite wall move to just north of Theodric so she will have a good view of anything rushing out of the doorway to attack.
Ready an acid splash on anything not a party member that comes out the door: ranged touch attack 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18 damage 1d3 ⇒ 2
At the last door"This hallway likely joins up with the first," Corinne says softly, flicking a nervous finger toward the west. "Ought we to see what is down it before we open the door to some other section?"
Even with Morven's assurance that the sight is an illusion, Corinne cannot bring herself to look directly at Stannis and the door. "If we cannot trust our own senses," she whimpers, "how will we distinguish danger in this haunted place?"
"I vote we leave the thing here. One can't run for one's life carrying a safe. Assuming we make it out of here in one piece, I don't think anyone else is going to carry it away before we can."
Morven flashes a toothy grin at Sarah, and winks at her.
My lockpick set has a 100% success rate so far... Lets see how short stuff does.
"I thought locks were no problem for all you transmuters," Corinne comments, with a quick mimic of the somatic component of the knock spell. "Far beyond me, I'm afraid; not my specialty. Looks like we'll have to find the actual key if we hope to open the safe."
"Men," Corinne mutters bitterly, as her perfectly reasonable suggestion is spurned. Spurred by her frustration into being reckless, she reaches out and tries the door on the right, opposite the one they're trying to break down.
Despite her intense disease, Corinne gives a nervous laugh despite herself at Morven's threat. "Oh, not Father Grimburrow. That's something, once drawn, that can't be unseen. Well, not without a modify memory spell, at any rate...." She draws a small dagger with a silvery gleam as Stannis prepares to open the door.
Corinne shakes her head and steps away from the prison with trepidation. "I think ... if he was once imprisoned, he isn't any longer. The integrity of the incantation was broken when the flood washed away that corner."
Corinne frowns as her gaze travels along the etchings on the foundation. "I wonder how long ago that corner crumbled away," she says, pointing to the northeast corner. "The encircling runes have been interrupted there." She glances up at the building with worry. "The abjuration might be broken." She speaks a few syllables as she passes crossed fingers before her eyes and examines the runes.
Spellcraft DC 16:
She casts detect magic to see if the runes are still active.
"Well," Corinne gets to her feet, "I can tell you a lot about magic but not much about ghosts. One of our Pharasmite companions might be able to shed more light than I can. It's my understanding, though, that ghosts exist because of unfinished business left from their lives. Considering how the warden died, if there are any secrets about the fire and what happened in here," she nods toward the prison, "he might well be the one to impart them. Perhaps someone imprisoned him to keep him from telling his tale?" She shrugs, looking to Sarrah and Theodric for their opinions.
"Oh!" Corinne stops upon hearing Morven's speculation about the inscription, suddenly remembering where she has heard the name before. "Of course! They were imprisoning a ghost, the ghost of the warden, Lyvar Hawkran."
Well, assuming we can get Theodric over here to read the Varisian for us...
Corinne sits back, a little disgusted, when she realizes the inscription is in some common peasant tongue rather than a more scholarly language. Knowledge (arcanca)1d20 + 9 ⇒ (19) + 9 = 28
Ooh, if I can get an Aid Another from Morven, I can hit the DC 30! Will you roll it, Tanner, since AK's busy these days? Pending that...
"Well, the choice of language might not be what I'm used to, but I recognize the form; it's part of a larger ritual that was cast here: both abjuration and necromantic magics were involved. Some sort of protective ritual, mixed in with death and unlife. Who is this Lyvar Hawkran?"
